GAMING DIARIES
I've been gaming since the 1980's when my dad bought our family our very first NINTENDO ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM a.k.a. the original NES. I was just a little kid back then and I had no real talent for gaming. Either that or the games were really hard! To spare my ego I'll say it was probably a combination of the two. Anyway, we had only a few games and I maybe beat one or two legit and the rest I used my GAME GENIE on to cheat and destroy.
Years passed and I got a hand-me-down SUPER NINTENDO (when the NINTENDO 64 and PLAYSTATION were popular). If the games on the NES were my foundation and the genesis (SEGA?) of my love of gaming, the SNES cemented that love of gaming for life. Games like SUPER METROID, SUPER CASTLEVANIA IV, and SUPER STREET FIGHTER II were directly responsible for making me the life long gamer that I am. The big difference with these games was that I was older (with slightly more talent though not much) and I could beat these games!
While falling in love with the SNES I came to know the greatness of the SEGA GENESIS! Then came the Playstation followed shortly by the PS2 (the first console system I ever bought on the very launch day) and so on and so forth. During my college years was probably the height of my gaming career, discovering and playing many of my all-time favorites and acquiring my greatest gaming achievements.
Now much older, and having acquired a somewhat decent collection of systems and games, I am trekking back through the stacks and knocking out some of those harder games from my childhood that kicked my ass. Not to mention the extensive backlog of games I purchased but never had the time to get to.
Here are the diaries of my gaming misadventures!
THE NINJA GAIDEN FRANCHISE
Back in the 1980's and early 90's, when I was in single digits, I began playing video games with the original NES Nintendo Entertainment System. My family bought an NES for ourselves but we didn't dump a whole lot of money into buying games. We had a handful of games, some great and some not so much. Luckily we had friends who seemed to invest wads of cash on games and it was at their house that I played a majority of the titles that would become lifelong favorites. It was at my friend's house that I played such greats as CONTRA, CASTLEVANIA II: SIMON'S QUEST, and...
NINJA GAIDEN
"Guy-Den" meaning "Side-story"
Ninjas had become pop-culture phenomenons during the 80's and 90's, featured in dozens of action movies, animated television shows, and toys. And by the mid 80's ninjas had made their presence known in video games. Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow from G.I. JOE were my two favorites from that show and I was absolutely obsessed with everything featuring those four mutant turtles. Ninjas were firmly imprinted on my mind and imagination. I remember vividly playing every Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle game Konami released, from the first NES title through TOURNAMENT FIGHTERS. But, while I love those games, there's a whole other list of ninja titles out there.
THE CONTEXT
In 1985 game developer TAITO released THE LEGEND OF KAGE for arcades and later on the NES. But it wasn't until SEGA released the game SHINOBI for arcades in 1987 that ninjas really took hold within the medium. Shinobi became one of Sega's most successful titles at the time and was ported to nearly every home console system (some of which were unlicensed ports like the one for NES). Shinobi represented the next evolution of ninjas in video games.
THE CONTEXT
In 1985 game developer TAITO released THE LEGEND OF KAGE for arcades and later on the NES. But it wasn't until SEGA released the game SHINOBI for arcades in 1987 that ninjas really took hold within the medium. Shinobi became one of Sega's most successful titles at the time and was ported to nearly every home console system (some of which were unlicensed ports like the one for NES). Shinobi represented the next evolution of ninjas in video games.
Ninja video games would continue to evolve the following year with TECMO's release of NINJA GAIDEN for the arcades. The first game in the franchise was a side-scrolling beat um' up in the vein of DOUBLE DRAGON and later games such as FINAL FIGHT, GOLDEN AXE, and STREETS OF RAGE. Later that same year Tecmo released a home console version of Ninja Gaiden on the NES. Unlike Sega's direct translation of Shinobi from arcade to console, Tecmo released a largely different game for the home port.
Rather than a side-scrolling beat um' up, the NES version of Ninja Gaiden is an action platformer in the vein of Super Mario and Castlevania. You play as the young ninja Ryu Hayabusa, running and jumping your way from one end of the stage to the other, armed with the legendary Dragon Sword and a host of sub weapons such as the classic shurikens, "Art of the Fire Wheel," and a Windmill Shuriken (kinda like a boomerang). You can either jump, dodge, and run past enemies or hack and slash your opponents to pieces as you make your way towards the enemy boss of the level.
The game is quite long for the era it was released, consisting of six chapters with multiple stages within. What makes the gaming experience here last even longer are the story elements. With many games of the time, the story was merely window dressing consisting of a paragraph or two in the instruction manual. Ninja Gaiden however presented a highly story driven experience with anime-esque cutscenes book-ending each chapter. The story directs the gameplay. As a kid playing this game for the first time, the cutscenes and imagery were unlike most games I had ever played.
Some platformers of the era were more free flowing with their level layouts (going from air to water to underground, floating staircases and ledges and the like) leaning more towards imaginative and fantastic design esthetics rather than adhering to "real world" logic. Ninja Gaiden opts for a somewhat realistic approach to its level design lending the game a more distinct look for the time. There is visual consistency with the stages such as when Ryu is scaling the side of a mountain, his ascent is visually represented on screen.
And of course there's the memorable and exciting soundtrack. The NES catalog had many great soundtracks, the Konami games especially. Ninja Gaiden had one of the strongest scores as well, distinctive, thrilling, and wonderfully cinematic. The music complimented the gameplay sequences as well as the cutscenes.
All of these elements came together to make one of the NES' greatest games, one that left a permanent impression on me. I later purchased the game for myself when I grew older along with the sequels. Over the course of these many years the game has become one of my favorite games on the console if not the favorite. The NES Ninja Gaiden Trilogy remains to this day some of my most beloved video games.
THE STORY
After a fateful duel, Ken Hayabusa, leader of the Hayabusa ninja clan, mysteriously disappeared. Discovering a letter from his father, Ken's son Ryu set off for America to meet with a friend of his father's, an archeologist named Walter Smith. En route to the states Ryu is attacked by an unknown group. Finally meeting with Dr. Smith, the archeologist informs Ryu of two demonic statues with the power to resurrect an ancient demon that was sealed away millennia ago. Dr. Smith had one of the statues while Ryu's father once had the other, now in possession of the enemy.
The villains attack and Ryu chases after them. When he returns to Dr. Smith's home he discovers his father's old friend murdered and the demon statue stolen. Ryu sets out to avenge his father and Dr. Smith's deaths, retrieve the demon statues, and vanquish his enemies. Many twists and turns greet Ryu on the way towards a final confrontation with evil.
THE PLAYTHROUGH
This game starts off with a fairly straight forward section with moderate difficulty. From there the game ratchets up the difficulty steadily until dropping the hammer on the player for Act VI. It draws you in with smooth gameplay and easy to grasp mechanics. With a little practice one can blaze a trail through the first several stages with precision and confidence. There are infinite continues to help you practice the levels.
Like Castlevania the levels are filled with candles, lamps, and lanterns hanging on the walls. These candles contain subweapons and "spiritual strength" items which act as ammunition for your subweapons. In general the gameplay is smoother and faster than any NES Castlevania, with high difficulty consistent with Castlevania though. Instead of climbing stairs to ascend (like in Castlevania) Ryu can stick to walls and jump back and forth between them to climb higher (with the occasional ladder to climb here and there).
One major frustration in this game versus Castlevania are the readily respawning enemies. Enemies respawn easily, sometimes only taking a few steps back will trigger an enemy to reappear. Standing in specific spots will result in enemies endlessly respawning immediately after being defeated. You are able to backtrack entire stages but all of the enemies you've defeated will return (but not the candles). The game also runs on a timer so time isn't a luxury. All of this is to say that the game encourages speed and forward progression as opposed to taking your time and exploring.
THE LEVELS
Some platformers of the era were more free flowing with their level layouts (going from air to water to underground, floating staircases and ledges and the like) leaning more towards imaginative and fantastic design esthetics rather than adhering to "real world" logic. Ninja Gaiden opts for a somewhat realistic approach to its level design lending the game a more distinct look for the time. There is visual consistency with the stages such as when Ryu is scaling the side of a mountain, his ascent is visually represented on screen.
And of course there's the memorable and exciting soundtrack. The NES catalog had many great soundtracks, the Konami games especially. Ninja Gaiden had one of the strongest scores as well, distinctive, thrilling, and wonderfully cinematic. The music complimented the gameplay sequences as well as the cutscenes.
All of these elements came together to make one of the NES' greatest games, one that left a permanent impression on me. I later purchased the game for myself when I grew older along with the sequels. Over the course of these many years the game has become one of my favorite games on the console if not the favorite. The NES Ninja Gaiden Trilogy remains to this day some of my most beloved video games.
THE STORY
After a fateful duel, Ken Hayabusa, leader of the Hayabusa ninja clan, mysteriously disappeared. Discovering a letter from his father, Ken's son Ryu set off for America to meet with a friend of his father's, an archeologist named Walter Smith. En route to the states Ryu is attacked by an unknown group. Finally meeting with Dr. Smith, the archeologist informs Ryu of two demonic statues with the power to resurrect an ancient demon that was sealed away millennia ago. Dr. Smith had one of the statues while Ryu's father once had the other, now in possession of the enemy.
The villains attack and Ryu chases after them. When he returns to Dr. Smith's home he discovers his father's old friend murdered and the demon statue stolen. Ryu sets out to avenge his father and Dr. Smith's deaths, retrieve the demon statues, and vanquish his enemies. Many twists and turns greet Ryu on the way towards a final confrontation with evil.
THE PLAYTHROUGH
This game starts off with a fairly straight forward section with moderate difficulty. From there the game ratchets up the difficulty steadily until dropping the hammer on the player for Act VI. It draws you in with smooth gameplay and easy to grasp mechanics. With a little practice one can blaze a trail through the first several stages with precision and confidence. There are infinite continues to help you practice the levels.
Like Castlevania the levels are filled with candles, lamps, and lanterns hanging on the walls. These candles contain subweapons and "spiritual strength" items which act as ammunition for your subweapons. In general the gameplay is smoother and faster than any NES Castlevania, with high difficulty consistent with Castlevania though. Instead of climbing stairs to ascend (like in Castlevania) Ryu can stick to walls and jump back and forth between them to climb higher (with the occasional ladder to climb here and there).
One major frustration in this game versus Castlevania are the readily respawning enemies. Enemies respawn easily, sometimes only taking a few steps back will trigger an enemy to reappear. Standing in specific spots will result in enemies endlessly respawning immediately after being defeated. You are able to backtrack entire stages but all of the enemies you've defeated will return (but not the candles). The game also runs on a timer so time isn't a luxury. All of this is to say that the game encourages speed and forward progression as opposed to taking your time and exploring.
THE LEVELS
Act I ~ Stages 1 - 2: The first act only consists of one stage and is in an "American" city (I always thought it was New York City). This stage is fairly easy and is designed to help you get used to the gameplay. All of the different subweapons are available here to try out along with some wall-jump areas to get you familiar with scaling surfaces. The only enemies here that could cause you problems are the boxers and maybe the giant rats. Inside Jay's Bar (stage 2) is the first boss, The Barbarian. Despite his imposing size and massive sword, this titanic ninja is easy enough to give you confidence going forward. Thus ends the first act, simple as that.
Note: This first stage looks and feels completely lifted from the first level of the original Shinobi. The urban setting and the boss (which looks just like Ken-Oh from Shinobi) all bear a striking resemblance. The influences of Shinobi on the Ninja Gaiden series were inevitable given Shinobi's popularity at the time. Interestingly enough, Ninja Gaiden would become immensely popular as well and would later influence Shinobi. Levels from Ninja Gaiden would be mirrored in future Shinobi games such as Shinobi III. This sharing of ideas would continue for many years as both franchises would borrow from each other throughout their respective franchises.
Act II ~ Stages 1 - 3: Things escalate a bit here with two stages to traverse through, the first looking like the inside of a massive factory. From there you make your way through what looks like ancient ruins and this is the first place to really test your patience. This stage really works your platforming skills and shows you the briefest of glimpses of how bad the enemy respawning can be. From there you make it to the boss: Bomberhead. This guy isn't too much beyond the difficulty of the last boss, requiring at little more timing and caution with some wall jumping to get over him.
Act III ~ Stages 1 - 3: Ryu finally meets Dr. Walter Smith and the tale of the demon statues is revealed. You arrive at Dr. Smith's cabin, hidden deep within the northern territory surrounded by trees and a lake. The enemies have tracked you to Dr. Smith's cabin and steal one of the demon statues! The level begins with Ryu running out of the cabin into the northern wilderness. The music in this level gives you that tense feeling of desperately chasing after someone (this track is the music I always think of first when I think of Ninja Gaiden). Through the trees and across the lake you pursue the enemies higher into a mountainous snow capped region where you find the next boss in a mountain cave: Basaquer. This boss leaps back and forth from one side of the screen to the other firing bullets at you. Spacing, timing, and a well placed slash with the Dragon Sword and this boss should go down. This level ups the difficulty a notch from the previous level, so prepare yourself.
Act IV ~ Stages 1 - 4: Huge story elements unfold here in what is basically a big cutscene. Ryu retrieved the stolen statue but when he returned to the cabin he discovered Dr. Smith murdered and the other statue taken! The C.I.A. steps in and informs Ryu about the true criminals behind the affair, an evil man going by the moniker Jaquio. Jaquio and his associates have retreated to Brazil where the fabled temple sealing away the demon resides. With the help of C.I.A. agent Irene Lew, Ryu heads to Brazil to stop the Jaquio.
Beginning the level has you running through the jungles of the Amazon, battling enemies, and scaling a mountain peak. This area is frustrating beyond any previous part of the game. Just remember you've got infinite continues, so persevere! When you make it to the end of this stage the game launches into a really cool mini cutscene showing Ryu atop a peak overlooking the ancient demonic temple along the horizon. This is by far the most memorable and striking scene in the entire game and an iconic image of NES gaming altogether.
The next stage has you traversing a railroad through more ruins as you make your way towards the demon temple. There is an open area here where you're running along the tracks and birds launch out at you from all sides. This area can be extremely frustrating. Making it through there you enter the enemy's hideout, an old dilapidated building. Battling through there, which isn't completely terrible, you'll come to the bosses: The Kelbeross, twin frog-like monsters. That's right, it's a double boss fight! Both can be killed individually but you only have to kill the one whose life bar is shown. This fight can be rough but there is a perfect place to stand in order to survive and attack from (beneath the left pedestal). With a few shots of the Windmill Shuriken the other boss should break easily. Once alone the real Kelbeross is no problem.
Act V ~ Stages 1 - 4: After defeating the Kelbeross Ryu comes face to face with the main villain himself: The Jaquio. Ryu sees that Jaquio has Irene hostage. To save her life Ryu gives up the other demon statue and plummets down into the bowels of Jaquio's lair. Deep down in the pit is where you begin the level and it is far more difficult than any level before. Getting used to this stage will take a lot of time and practice. Infinite continues restart you right here so practicing this stage is made easy. The next two stages have you scaling up the side of the mountain towards the demon temple. This is a fairly lengthy act and you've got to move. There are a few tricky jumps and one jump in particular that will drive you mad.
Luckily the boss is fairly simple: run right up beside him and slash him as fast as you can. Just take the hits and slash him like crazy. If you're fast you'll kill him before he kills you. It isn't fancy or clever but it sure is effective. This boss calls himself Bloody Malth (and he's one of my favorite bosses in the game. I love his design). He reveals to Ryu that he was the other ninja who fought with Ryu's father at the beginning of the game. With his dying words he tells Ryu that his father is alive and waiting for him inside the demon temple!
Act VI ~ Stages 1 - 4: Everything you've gone through up to this point pales in comparison to this final act. The game goes from challenging to pure evil from here on out. This act is the longest yet and is loaded down with more enemies than the rest of the game entirely. This first section has you moving from where you fought Bloody Malth to the entrance of the demon temple. It's one long stretch and will likely leave you with next to no life at all when you make it through. There are a ton of enemies here that will destroy your life bar in an instant. Sadly, it only gets worse after. Luckily, once you make it inside the temple the infinite continues will start you inside the temple instead of out here.
Next you must traverse two stages comprised of a half dozen areas. These areas are all frustrating as hell and will have you either rage quitting or screaming at the television. To give you some idea of how challenging this last act is, after more than twenty years of practice this act still tests my limits. I've beaten Acts I through V countless times and can even breeze through them without dying once most times. I've only ever beaten Act VI on my own three or four times in my life. There are hard games out there, but this game is in a league of its own. Sadly, it is only Act VI that makes this game one of the hardest NES titles out there. The difficulty divide separating Acts I through V and Act VI is like night and day.
The first NES Ninja Gaiden game has the worst enemy respawning rate of the whole series and that fact is never more apparent than in Act VI. The slightest step backwards in these stages will trigger the enemies you just defeated to respawn instantly. These stages set jumps right on enemy respawn points so you can't eliminate the enemy to make the jump safely. There is one jump in particular that is extremely difficult. It's so bad that I've learned to exploit a glitch to get passed it. Then there is the super annoying "knock back" effect when you get hit which almost always sends you plummeting down a pit to your death (nevermind having nearly full life). And if you don't get knocked into a pit you're likely to be juggled until your life bar is gone. The "Jet Pack" ninjas and their shurikens are too good at this.
As if it can't get any worse, there are three bosses waiting for you at the end. Not one, not two, but three bosses. And they're all separate fights. And if you lose to them, you don't just get to restart the fight or be merely sent back to the previous area. No, you are sent ALL THE WAY BACK to the beginning of the Act where you defeated Bloody Malth. Yep, even if you have more lives, a death at any of the bosses sends you back to the very beginning of Act VI. If there is any more cruel an action to take that last gust of wind out of your sails and throw you in the emotional pits of anger and despair it is this. Not only is this extremely demoralizing but it makes practicing and learning the bosses incredibly hard. Even if you manage to defeat one of the bosses, the game treats it as if the level was ending, draining you of your spiritual strength (subweapon ammunition) rendering your subweapon useless.
Defeating the first boss, the Masked Devil, is mercifully not too hard. And once you defeat one of the three end bosses you don't have to beat them again, even upon continuing. The second boss is the Jaquio himself. And he is extremely hard, made even harder without the help of subweapons. The Jaquio flies back and forth at the top of the screen firing two seeking projectiles at you. Of course, touching him hurts you too. Right there you have three moving objects with which to avoid being hit by. You have to juke the projectiles, leap onto a pedestal, and slash him without getting hit by him. To make matters far worse, his hit box is only a tiny piece in the center of his sprite and can be difficult to hit. Jaquio is without question the most difficult boss in the entire NES Ninja Gaiden trilogy (maybe the entire franchise).
My tactic requires the infuriating task of losing to Jaquio only to make my way back to him with a full stock of spiritual strength and the Fire Wheel subweapon. And even with all of that you have to make it to him without losing much health because as you enter the fight the game does NOT refill your health. To restate the obvious, making it through Act VI Stages 1 through 3 to the boss with decent health is maddeningly hard. And even managing to do that is no guarantee that you'll defeat Jaquio. I often don't win even when I manage to do this nigh impossible feat. If and when you do you'll be ready to chuck the game cartridge out the goddamn window. But it's not over yet...
The third and final boss of the game is the most impressive looking thing in all of the game, the giant demon itself reborn! It takes up half the screen and has three areas with which to attack: the head, the tail, and the heart. You've got to destroy the head and tail before you can start dealing it damage. While you're doing this the demon is spitting a half dozen little demons at you which you must avoid. Of all of the bosses in the game this one is easily the second hardest (thankfully nowhere near as frustrating as Jaquio). Again, my tactic involves dying and making my way back to the boss with full spiritual strength and the Windmill Shuriken (one last trek through this horrible effing level!). With the Windmill Shuriken the demon's head and tail should break easily within the first few opening seconds. After that you need to carefully dodge the little falling demons and chip away at the heart. A full stock of spiritual strength should give you plenty of ammunition to take him down with the Windmill Shuriken.
Victory... ugghhh...
Managing to complete this nigh impossible task treats you to... another cinematic cutscene. Ryu rescues Irene and the two of them watch the demon temple crumble safely away on that epic mountain peak from earlier. Now, this would be a fine ending, but... by this point you're either a shell of the gamer you once were or simply sick of the sight of this damn game. Honestly, after going through all of that HELL to beat this bloody game it feels like you deserve more. Tecmo should offer you free psychiatry sessions or a wad of cash or a date with your celebrity crush. I feel I deserve that! There is nothing this game can give you now that will make you feel better about going through that hellish final act. The only real satisfaction you get is that you don't have go through that effing level anymore. You can shelve this freakin' game and not look at it ever again if you so choose.
THE REVIEW
Ninja Gaiden is quite possibly one of the greatest NES games in the entire catalog. The game mechanics are simple and tight and the gameplay is smooth. The platforming and action alone is brilliant, surpassing Castlevania, Metroid, Super Mario Bros. or any other similar titles on the NES. And if that weren't enough, it is presented in a cinematic, story driven, 80's action movie experience. All of this is played to one of the greatest soundtracks on the NES.
Acts I through V steadily ratchet up the difficulty nicely, offering adequate challenge but not beyond reason. It is possible to master these first five acts and become completely enamored with this game and your skills. My love for this game is derived from these first five acts and my adept skills at traversing them. Act VI however shatters whatever confidence (and love) you might have had. The difficulty divide here is staggering. Tecmo... you had a great thing going here until Act VI.
This game, even when mostly mastered (as I have done), is an emotional rollercoaster of love and hate. Despite the pixelated hell that is Act VI, I still love this game and still consider it my all time favorite game on the NES (at one time I considered it my all time favorite game on any system). It was only recently, having played through the NES trilogy once again, that my perspective has changed. I now feel there is another game that is better, at least in terms of gameplay. Even so, I still dearly love (and hate) this game. This particular Ninja Gaiden is without question one of the greatest ninja games of them all, not to mention one of the greatest video games of all time.
Overall Ranking: 9 out of 10
While terribly unbalanced difficulty within the final level, this game is an out and out classic.
This is the title that started my love affair with ninja games. And it is near the top of my list of favorites. And speaking of that list, we have a lot more ninja games to cover! Check out these others that we have already covered and keep a look out for more to come!
Gaming Diaries
Castlevania Posts
THE CASTLEVANIA ADVENTURE (GB)
TOP TEN WORST CASTLEVANIA GAMES
And if you just can't get enough ninjas, here's more!
Kage No Gundan ~ Shadow Warriors Season One
(a show set in feudal Japan about ninjas!)
Note: This first stage looks and feels completely lifted from the first level of the original Shinobi. The urban setting and the boss (which looks just like Ken-Oh from Shinobi) all bear a striking resemblance. The influences of Shinobi on the Ninja Gaiden series were inevitable given Shinobi's popularity at the time. Interestingly enough, Ninja Gaiden would become immensely popular as well and would later influence Shinobi. Levels from Ninja Gaiden would be mirrored in future Shinobi games such as Shinobi III. This sharing of ideas would continue for many years as both franchises would borrow from each other throughout their respective franchises.
Act II ~ Stages 1 - 3: Things escalate a bit here with two stages to traverse through, the first looking like the inside of a massive factory. From there you make your way through what looks like ancient ruins and this is the first place to really test your patience. This stage really works your platforming skills and shows you the briefest of glimpses of how bad the enemy respawning can be. From there you make it to the boss: Bomberhead. This guy isn't too much beyond the difficulty of the last boss, requiring at little more timing and caution with some wall jumping to get over him.
Act III ~ Stages 1 - 3: Ryu finally meets Dr. Walter Smith and the tale of the demon statues is revealed. You arrive at Dr. Smith's cabin, hidden deep within the northern territory surrounded by trees and a lake. The enemies have tracked you to Dr. Smith's cabin and steal one of the demon statues! The level begins with Ryu running out of the cabin into the northern wilderness. The music in this level gives you that tense feeling of desperately chasing after someone (this track is the music I always think of first when I think of Ninja Gaiden). Through the trees and across the lake you pursue the enemies higher into a mountainous snow capped region where you find the next boss in a mountain cave: Basaquer. This boss leaps back and forth from one side of the screen to the other firing bullets at you. Spacing, timing, and a well placed slash with the Dragon Sword and this boss should go down. This level ups the difficulty a notch from the previous level, so prepare yourself.
Act IV ~ Stages 1 - 4: Huge story elements unfold here in what is basically a big cutscene. Ryu retrieved the stolen statue but when he returned to the cabin he discovered Dr. Smith murdered and the other statue taken! The C.I.A. steps in and informs Ryu about the true criminals behind the affair, an evil man going by the moniker Jaquio. Jaquio and his associates have retreated to Brazil where the fabled temple sealing away the demon resides. With the help of C.I.A. agent Irene Lew, Ryu heads to Brazil to stop the Jaquio.
Beginning the level has you running through the jungles of the Amazon, battling enemies, and scaling a mountain peak. This area is frustrating beyond any previous part of the game. Just remember you've got infinite continues, so persevere! When you make it to the end of this stage the game launches into a really cool mini cutscene showing Ryu atop a peak overlooking the ancient demonic temple along the horizon. This is by far the most memorable and striking scene in the entire game and an iconic image of NES gaming altogether.
The next stage has you traversing a railroad through more ruins as you make your way towards the demon temple. There is an open area here where you're running along the tracks and birds launch out at you from all sides. This area can be extremely frustrating. Making it through there you enter the enemy's hideout, an old dilapidated building. Battling through there, which isn't completely terrible, you'll come to the bosses: The Kelbeross, twin frog-like monsters. That's right, it's a double boss fight! Both can be killed individually but you only have to kill the one whose life bar is shown. This fight can be rough but there is a perfect place to stand in order to survive and attack from (beneath the left pedestal). With a few shots of the Windmill Shuriken the other boss should break easily. Once alone the real Kelbeross is no problem.
Act V ~ Stages 1 - 4: After defeating the Kelbeross Ryu comes face to face with the main villain himself: The Jaquio. Ryu sees that Jaquio has Irene hostage. To save her life Ryu gives up the other demon statue and plummets down into the bowels of Jaquio's lair. Deep down in the pit is where you begin the level and it is far more difficult than any level before. Getting used to this stage will take a lot of time and practice. Infinite continues restart you right here so practicing this stage is made easy. The next two stages have you scaling up the side of the mountain towards the demon temple. This is a fairly lengthy act and you've got to move. There are a few tricky jumps and one jump in particular that will drive you mad.
Luckily the boss is fairly simple: run right up beside him and slash him as fast as you can. Just take the hits and slash him like crazy. If you're fast you'll kill him before he kills you. It isn't fancy or clever but it sure is effective. This boss calls himself Bloody Malth (and he's one of my favorite bosses in the game. I love his design). He reveals to Ryu that he was the other ninja who fought with Ryu's father at the beginning of the game. With his dying words he tells Ryu that his father is alive and waiting for him inside the demon temple!
Act VI ~ Stages 1 - 4: Everything you've gone through up to this point pales in comparison to this final act. The game goes from challenging to pure evil from here on out. This act is the longest yet and is loaded down with more enemies than the rest of the game entirely. This first section has you moving from where you fought Bloody Malth to the entrance of the demon temple. It's one long stretch and will likely leave you with next to no life at all when you make it through. There are a ton of enemies here that will destroy your life bar in an instant. Sadly, it only gets worse after. Luckily, once you make it inside the temple the infinite continues will start you inside the temple instead of out here.
Next you must traverse two stages comprised of a half dozen areas. These areas are all frustrating as hell and will have you either rage quitting or screaming at the television. To give you some idea of how challenging this last act is, after more than twenty years of practice this act still tests my limits. I've beaten Acts I through V countless times and can even breeze through them without dying once most times. I've only ever beaten Act VI on my own three or four times in my life. There are hard games out there, but this game is in a league of its own. Sadly, it is only Act VI that makes this game one of the hardest NES titles out there. The difficulty divide separating Acts I through V and Act VI is like night and day.
The first NES Ninja Gaiden game has the worst enemy respawning rate of the whole series and that fact is never more apparent than in Act VI. The slightest step backwards in these stages will trigger the enemies you just defeated to respawn instantly. These stages set jumps right on enemy respawn points so you can't eliminate the enemy to make the jump safely. There is one jump in particular that is extremely difficult. It's so bad that I've learned to exploit a glitch to get passed it. Then there is the super annoying "knock back" effect when you get hit which almost always sends you plummeting down a pit to your death (nevermind having nearly full life). And if you don't get knocked into a pit you're likely to be juggled until your life bar is gone. The "Jet Pack" ninjas and their shurikens are too good at this.
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| This is it! The site of the "impossible jump" in which many a curse word is uttered |
As if it can't get any worse, there are three bosses waiting for you at the end. Not one, not two, but three bosses. And they're all separate fights. And if you lose to them, you don't just get to restart the fight or be merely sent back to the previous area. No, you are sent ALL THE WAY BACK to the beginning of the Act where you defeated Bloody Malth. Yep, even if you have more lives, a death at any of the bosses sends you back to the very beginning of Act VI. If there is any more cruel an action to take that last gust of wind out of your sails and throw you in the emotional pits of anger and despair it is this. Not only is this extremely demoralizing but it makes practicing and learning the bosses incredibly hard. Even if you manage to defeat one of the bosses, the game treats it as if the level was ending, draining you of your spiritual strength (subweapon ammunition) rendering your subweapon useless.
Defeating the first boss, the Masked Devil, is mercifully not too hard. And once you defeat one of the three end bosses you don't have to beat them again, even upon continuing. The second boss is the Jaquio himself. And he is extremely hard, made even harder without the help of subweapons. The Jaquio flies back and forth at the top of the screen firing two seeking projectiles at you. Of course, touching him hurts you too. Right there you have three moving objects with which to avoid being hit by. You have to juke the projectiles, leap onto a pedestal, and slash him without getting hit by him. To make matters far worse, his hit box is only a tiny piece in the center of his sprite and can be difficult to hit. Jaquio is without question the most difficult boss in the entire NES Ninja Gaiden trilogy (maybe the entire franchise).
My tactic requires the infuriating task of losing to Jaquio only to make my way back to him with a full stock of spiritual strength and the Fire Wheel subweapon. And even with all of that you have to make it to him without losing much health because as you enter the fight the game does NOT refill your health. To restate the obvious, making it through Act VI Stages 1 through 3 to the boss with decent health is maddeningly hard. And even managing to do that is no guarantee that you'll defeat Jaquio. I often don't win even when I manage to do this nigh impossible feat. If and when you do you'll be ready to chuck the game cartridge out the goddamn window. But it's not over yet...
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| Final boss time! |
The third and final boss of the game is the most impressive looking thing in all of the game, the giant demon itself reborn! It takes up half the screen and has three areas with which to attack: the head, the tail, and the heart. You've got to destroy the head and tail before you can start dealing it damage. While you're doing this the demon is spitting a half dozen little demons at you which you must avoid. Of all of the bosses in the game this one is easily the second hardest (thankfully nowhere near as frustrating as Jaquio). Again, my tactic involves dying and making my way back to the boss with full spiritual strength and the Windmill Shuriken (one last trek through this horrible effing level!). With the Windmill Shuriken the demon's head and tail should break easily within the first few opening seconds. After that you need to carefully dodge the little falling demons and chip away at the heart. A full stock of spiritual strength should give you plenty of ammunition to take him down with the Windmill Shuriken.
Victory... ugghhh...
Managing to complete this nigh impossible task treats you to... another cinematic cutscene. Ryu rescues Irene and the two of them watch the demon temple crumble safely away on that epic mountain peak from earlier. Now, this would be a fine ending, but... by this point you're either a shell of the gamer you once were or simply sick of the sight of this damn game. Honestly, after going through all of that HELL to beat this bloody game it feels like you deserve more. Tecmo should offer you free psychiatry sessions or a wad of cash or a date with your celebrity crush. I feel I deserve that! There is nothing this game can give you now that will make you feel better about going through that hellish final act. The only real satisfaction you get is that you don't have go through that effing level anymore. You can shelve this freakin' game and not look at it ever again if you so choose.
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| Goodbye... you wonderful... evil game |
THE REVIEW
Ninja Gaiden is quite possibly one of the greatest NES games in the entire catalog. The game mechanics are simple and tight and the gameplay is smooth. The platforming and action alone is brilliant, surpassing Castlevania, Metroid, Super Mario Bros. or any other similar titles on the NES. And if that weren't enough, it is presented in a cinematic, story driven, 80's action movie experience. All of this is played to one of the greatest soundtracks on the NES.
Acts I through V steadily ratchet up the difficulty nicely, offering adequate challenge but not beyond reason. It is possible to master these first five acts and become completely enamored with this game and your skills. My love for this game is derived from these first five acts and my adept skills at traversing them. Act VI however shatters whatever confidence (and love) you might have had. The difficulty divide here is staggering. Tecmo... you had a great thing going here until Act VI.
This game, even when mostly mastered (as I have done), is an emotional rollercoaster of love and hate. Despite the pixelated hell that is Act VI, I still love this game and still consider it my all time favorite game on the NES (at one time I considered it my all time favorite game on any system). It was only recently, having played through the NES trilogy once again, that my perspective has changed. I now feel there is another game that is better, at least in terms of gameplay. Even so, I still dearly love (and hate) this game. This particular Ninja Gaiden is without question one of the greatest ninja games of them all, not to mention one of the greatest video games of all time.
Overall Ranking: 9 out of 10
While terribly unbalanced difficulty within the final level, this game is an out and out classic.
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And if you just can't get enough ninjas, here's more!
Kage No Gundan ~ Shadow Warriors Season One
(a show set in feudal Japan about ninjas!)
(it says samurai but ninjas are included too)
(The film responsible for the status of ninjas today in pop culture.)
(A brief examination of female ninjas and how cool and dangerous these women were.)
(A survey in which I asked coworkers who they thought would win and a story based on the outcome.)
